405: Thriving Through an Emergency with Amy Sparrow

405: Thriving Through an Emergency with Amy Sparrow

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What kind of emergencies are you prepared for? While we may focus on natural disasters, lost pets, or medical emergencies, what about you? After going through a severe medical emergency, Amy Sparrow had to make drastic changes to her business, Fur Kid Sitting & Services. Amy shares how having a multi-year business plan allowed her to accelerate a brand new business structure. From growing a network, to addressing your personal risks, Amy stresses the importance of getting a plan in place today. She also explains why it’s critical to give back to the community.

404: Communicating in Stressful Situations

404: Communicating in Stressful Situations

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How do you handle stressful situations? From acute to chronic, we encounter all sorts of situations in running our business. As a business owner, we’re obligated to not just take care of stressful situations and emergencies, but also communicate and help others through it as well. We break down how to cope with stress in the moment. We give several strategies for effective communication and also how to plan for after the emergency is taken care of.

403: Business Exit Planning with Joshua Winterswyk

403: Business Exit Planning with Joshua Winterswyk

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Do you have an exit plan from your business? While it may feel like you’ll be working for the rest of your life, you will stop working eventually. Having an exit plan means taking the time to step out of your business in some way. Joshua Winterswyk, Certified Financial Planner with RPA Wealth Management, shares the strategies for exiting your business well. Josh walks through the various options you have as the business owner. He also discusses why you should build a strong team to guide you through the process.

402: Planning the Perfect Visit

402: Planning the Perfect Visit

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How do you plan your visits? While not every visit is the most complicated, every detail still matters. To ensure you don’t miss a thing, and that the client’s expectations are met, preparation is key! We break down the 5 big buckets of information you need from each client. We then walk through the process of turning that information into a well organized (and time budgeted) visit!

401: How to Retain the Best Clients with Candace D’Agnolo

401: How to Retain the Best Clients with Candace D’Agnolo

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How do you keep clients coming back over and over? Candace D’Agnolo, from Pet Boss Nation, joins the show to discuss how to create raving fans of your business. Candace breaks down strategies for building long-lasting relationships with clients, and how to help them fall in love with your services. She also shows us ways to increase the perceived value of your business, while anticipating your client’s needs. Finally, Candace encourages us to implement follow-up services as a way to keep clients invested and engaged.

400: The Life of a Pet Sitter

400: The Life of a Pet Sitter

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What does the life of a pet sitter mean to you? We’re celebrating 400 episodes by reflecting on 5 major lessons we’ve learned about the life of a pet sitter. Pulling from over 200 interviews, we share what it means to be a pet sitter, and the best advice we’ve learned. We’re so thankful for you listening and are so excited for another 400!

399: Running a Multi-Dimensional Business with Susan Morin

399: Running a Multi-Dimensional Business with Susan Morin

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What does it mean to run a multi-dimensional business? Not only do you offer a range of services, but you also have a lot going on every day. Susan Morin, owner of Susan’s Pampered Pet Care, shares how she’s piloted a growing business. She discusses how she highlights the strengths of her business to attract her target clients and walks through the balance of running a business to meet her client’s needs, while also enjoying the day to day operations.

398: Risky Business?

398: Risky Business?

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What risks have you taken on in your business? While running a dog walking and pet sitting business is inherently risky, as the business owner you have control over the amount of risk and exposure you take on. We walk through the steps in a risk assessment and the questions to consider as you review the threats to your business. We also share how to know if the mitigation processes you’ve put in place are actually working.

397: Implications of Perceived Generational Differences in Your Business with Dr. Michael Urick

397: Implications of Perceived Generational Differences in Your Business with Dr. Michael Urick

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Have you struggled hiring and managing employees for your business? One of the most common complaints is the issue of hiring someone from a different age bracket and how they work and communicate. Dr. Michael Urick (Dean of the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government at Saint Vincent College) discusses the dangers of relying on stereotypes and perceptions, and emphasizes the importance of effective communication and understanding in the workplace. He also addresses the impact of generational differences on internal and external relationships, and offers suggestions for mitigating these risks. We explore the challenges and misconceptions surrounding intergenerational interactions, and encourages us to question our own biases and assumptions.

396: Considerations for Starting a Remote Service Area

396: Considerations for Starting a Remote Service Area

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What should you consider before expanding to a remote service area? After a few years of trial and error, we've broken down 10 things you should ask yourself before starting in a remote area. We cover everything from planning your logistics to following local licensing and legal requirements. We also share about the biggest struggles we've faced and where you can expect to grow the most as a business owner.

395: Roundtable: Self-Care

395: Roundtable: Self-Care

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Are you prioritizing self-care? As a business owner, we are often the last to get cared for. The fact is, your business will suffer if you’re not taking care of yourself. Michelle Kline (DogCo Launch), Doug Keeling (Bad to the Bone Pet Care), and Dan Reitman (Dan’s Pet Care) share their journeys and struggles to learn what self-care means to them. Your health, and the health of your business, depend on you operating at your best. To do this, the roundtable encourages us to not numb the struggles and instead seek professional help and healthier ways of dealing with stress. They also walk through what “work-life” balance actually is and how to find your priorities.

394: How We Expanded to a Remote Service Area

394: How We Expanded to a Remote Service Area

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Have you ever wanted to start a remote location for your business? We share our experiences two years into our experiment with our business. We needed a way to grow our business, and found a remote location fit exactly what we needed. From our struggles hiring and training the right staff, to managing an office and learning a brand new city, there was a lot we had to learn. We’ve changed our entire operations and many of our policies to meet the new challenge, and give insights into how that went for us.

393: Working From Your Passion with Stephanie Brown

393: Working From Your Passion with Stephanie Brown

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How do you know it's time to bite down and go 110% to make your dream a reality? We all find our own motivating forces in our lives. For Stephanie Brown, owner of Happy Trail's Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services, she found her motivation in her family. She shares how her business has evolved and how it wasn't always easy to leave services behind. Stephanie focuses on client education and fostering relationships through a personal touch. She also gives great advice around implementing a power hour to stay organized in your business and how she's navigated bringing on a manager in her business.

392: Finding P.R.O.F.I.T in Your Business

392: Finding P.R.O.F.I.T in Your Business

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Are you profitable in your business? More than just finances, truly being profitable is about finding balance and building relationships when running your business. We break down the six aspects of being profitable and the major roadblocks to achieving them. From vague mission statements to your pricing structure, there’s a lot that could be holding you back.

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

391: Finding Your Balance with Renée Stilson

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What does it mean to live a balanced life? Finding balance as a dog walker and pet sitter is one of the most crucial aspects of running a thriving business, and maintaining personal well-being. Renée Stilson, former owner of Home Sweet Home Pet Care LLC and now The Balanced Sitter, draws on her 23 years of experience in the industry to share the lessons she learned. She discusses how she had to adapt her business multiple times, and how pet sitters and dog walkers are true ambassadors to their communities. Renée also reflects on how she knew it was time to retire, and how she's found a new way to live since hanging up her shoes and leash.

389: Live Life Full and Happy with Morgan Weber

389: Live Life Full and Happy with Morgan Weber

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How do you delight your clients? To delight your clients, you must first find delight and joy in the services you’re offering. Morgan Weber, owner of Lucky Pups Adventure, joins the show to talk about how living a fulfilling life in the present is crucial rather than waiting for some future event to happen. She explains how taking the time to appreciate the little things in life and finding joy in even the most mundane tasks is essential. She discusses how to ensure customer satisfaction by finding delight in the services you offer. Then stresses the importance of treating every client with the utmost care and attention to detail, which can lead to word-of-mouth referrals and long-term client relationships. She also gives advice on how to grieve the loss of a client’s pet and how to work closely with a significant other in your business.

388: AI Deep Dive For Your Business

388: AI Deep Dive For Your Business

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What can AI do for you and your business? Even though we're still in the early days of AI development, many practical and powerful applications are already available for use. We'll outline five ways we're integrating AI into our business operations to regain time and streamline our processes. From creating images to drafting policies, AI has the potential to enhance many aspects of the businesses we run.

387: Good Will is Good PR with Remy Bibaud

387: Good Will is Good PR with Remy Bibaud

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What does having good PR mean to you? Many times we use customer relations and public relations interchangeably, but this is limiting our ability to have a wider impact in our community. Remy Bibaud, co-owner of Pet Perennials, joins the show to share how to foster public relations and use it to your advantage. Remy walks through the major points of cultivating high quality experiences with your business, and the role you play in guiding that. She also shares how she stays ahead of understanding her client’s needs.

386: Embracing The Hard Work

386: Embracing The Hard Work

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Every day we do work that both directly and indirectly makes us money. The dog walks, grooming, pet sitting visits, and training are all pretty straightforward in that when we perform those tasks, we get paid for them. But what about the other work? How do we find the motivation to keep doing it, and doing it well, even when we don’t get paid directly for doing them?

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